Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein.
Brian Aldiss imagined nuclear weapons fracturing time, enabling a twenty first century man both to meet Mary Shelley and to confront her character.
Poul Anderson imagined human beings creating post-organic intelligences and one post-organic re-creating extinct humanity.
Meanwhile, we live with global warming and nuclear sabre-rattling. First, science fiction addresses our condition. Secondly, I think that mankind can control its own technology - but needs to do it.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question, humans being what they are, scientific knowledge will be used for both enhancing life and destructively.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: Yup. You can give human beings the powers of Gods, but that doesn't make them Gods -- at least, not the nicer variety, not consistently.
ReplyDeleteKaor, Mr. Stirling!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true! Give humans godlike powers and it's a dead certainty some will be like the demon gods of the Aztecs.
Ad astra! Sean